Demon Fire
by DoTSnDaSHES
Summary: Something evil is threatening to overrun Namimori; something Tsuna and his guardians have never encountered before and it seems a certain demon clan has noticed it too. Neither can triumph alone, but will these two old, prideful families be able to overcome past animosities to work together? Rikuo must decide where his loyalties truly lie; with the past or with the present.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This story follows canon until the end of both Anime. It may include aspects of the manga but mostly it will follow the anime versions of the stories. This means that Tsuna and co. met Giotto and his guardians during their tests etc.

For KHR, this would take place somewhere between the crew returning from the future and meeting the Shimon family. As for Nurarihyon, I'd say this would happen a few months or so after Seimei returns to hell and Rikuo accepts his position as the third head.

Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

The boy slumped against the wall with a grunt of pain, his breath coming out in short, stuttered gasps. He brought a shaking hand to a cut on his head, wincing at the sight of his own blood trickling so freely down it. His short, brunette hair was matted and his wide, brown eyes clouded with pure terror.

The things chasing him were shrouded in the night, unseen beyond the orange spotlight circles of the street lamps. Whenever they happened into these pin-points of light, the boy could only barely make out their silhouetted figures. After all, they moved far too fast for his eyes to register their true appearance.

A dull thumping sound alerted him to his right and the boy felt a cold, uninhibited fear creep up his spine. He turned wide, panicked eyes in the opposite direction, getting ready to run but before he had a chance to move, a figure suddenly blocked his path. A death-cold hand slammed him up against the wall, grasping tightly around his neck and eliciting a choke of surprise. At this distance, the boy saw his pursuer for the first time. Terrifying was not nearly enough to describe this creature. Its hand was wrinkled and dry, like a long-decayed corpse, its eyes an empty white, and its face so twisted the boy couldn't bear any more than the briefest of glances.

The boy began to weep, his sobs growing increasingly hysterical as he struggled to free himself.

"No please! H-help!" he attempted to scream, but all that came out were whispered, breathless words.

"Show me your power." the thing rasped, its foul breath wafting into the boy's face and making him cringe away.

"I h-have no idea what you're talking about." he whimpered and the hand tightened around his neck, making him sob.

"Don't attempt to fool me." the creature slammed the boy into the wall roughly, "Show it to me! Show me your flame!"

The boy looked terrified, shaking his head in the creature's grasp to indicate his ignorance on the matter. Soon, his movements slowed, head lolling as he finally couldn't bear the lack of air any longer. Eventually, he fell limp and the creature sneered in disgust, tossing him aside as if he were a dirty dishrag.

"He's not who we're looking for." growled the creature as two others like it emerged from the darkness. "That's the fifth tonight. This is going nowhere."

"He is elusive." the second creature stated in the same, rasping voice as the first.

"This one is no longer needed then?" said the third, nudging the boy's body with a cloaked foot, "May I?"

"Do as you will but make it quick, we have a job to do." hissed the first before he and the second disappeared into the night.

The third looked down at the unconscious boy and licked his reptilian lips with a long, blue tongue. Then, he descended upon him, white, ivory fangs bared and wearing a smile of mad satisfaction.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **At the moment I'm testing the waters with this fic to see if anyone will actually read it.

Enjoy the first chapter guys!

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**Chapter 1**

A flash of whitened hair, the glint of crimson eyes and the near-silent rustle of fabric was all an outsider would experience if they'd been looking at the right place, at the right time, but only if they'd focused all their will and energy. And only if they'd known to focus so completely for that near 100th of a second in which the form had been perceptible to normal human eyes. Otherwise, they'd see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing.

So it was that the invisible figure skirted along the edges of the crowds, making his way through the throng of people as easily and as confidently as a fish would through unmoving water. He wondered briefly if these human's ears could hear the tell-tale clack of his wooden _geta _every time he materialised but soon decided that they probably couldn't, and that even if they could, it'd be washed away by the sounds of the crowd.

"In other news, the investigation into the gruesome murder of the 13 year old boy, Minami Kaoru, yesterday night has yielded very few results thus far."

He paused in front of the televisions on display, attentive eyes focusing in on the image of the middle-school aged boy which flashed across the screen.

"At approximately 9:30pm last night, a neighbour who was heading out to a local deli discovered the dismembered arm of the young boy in an eastern suburb of Namimori. Police have found no further leads into this devastating case thus far and it has left locals fearing for their lives. This is the third case in what is now becoming a string of serial killings following the similar murders of business man Takayama Shohei and high school student Sanada Akahito last week."

He turned away and continued on his silent journey, travelling farther away from the town's centre as he did so. After a while, he belatedly noticed that the crowd of people had begun to thin, until eventually there was no one left at all but him.

_I must be moving into the suburbs._

He allowed himself a moment to gather his bearings, hopping onto a nearby roof to examine his surroundings. The night air was cool against his cheeks and the pale, muted light of the full moon bathed him in an eerie silver glow. If someone passed by now and just so happened to glance upon this rooftop, they'd see him clear as day. A figure so ethereal it'd invoke an awed fear in the heart of whoever saw it.

_Left at the next corner, straight until I reach that fork in the road, and then past the middle school. It hardly took me any time at all, wow this town sure is quaint._

The man paused, his gaze shifting from the roads below to the pointed tops of the roofs which stretched before him.

_The rooftops would probably be faster right?_

The man stretched luxuriously for a second longer and then, with an indulgent grin, launched himself across the rooftops, as lithe and flexible as any feline.

-V-

"We really shouldn't be out so late, there's been news of creepy stuff happening around town lately." Tsunayoshi Sawada, the often self-refuted heir of Vongola, whined to his tiny partner. "And also, are you trying to kill me Reborn? What's with this intense training all of a sudden?"

Said tiny partner, quick as lightning, landed a kick upward the 10th heir's head. Tsuna, feeling this was a totally unfair situation but having experienced it more times than perhaps anyone else would've tolerated, turned to his mentor in only slight disbelief.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You think you're going to get stronger by cutting corners in training?" Reborn asked in his usual eternally-better-than-you voice, "I told you not to use your gloves to fly to the goal but you did so anyway. You deserved to run 30 more laps around the mountain base as punishment, I was being uncharacteristically kind by assigning you only 20."

Tsuna gaped at his mentor in what would probably be an entirely accurate representation of a mentally unstable goldfish.

"You asked me to climb a cliff!" Tsuna replied, suitably indignant, and when Reborn only blinked at him, he flailed slightly, "Carrying all of your camping equipment! You even brought your own coffee machine!"

"I prefer my espresso fresh." Was Reborn's dignified response.

Tsuna had just finished contemplating the effects of caffeine on infants, its ability to stunt mental growth, and had moved on to whether the usual biological rules for growth and development applied to eternally cursed babies, when Reborn stopped suddenly. Tsuna, being Tsuna, failed to notice this in time and hence proceeded to promptly trip and fall flat on his face.

It definitely hurt too.

He opened his mouth to complain but Reborn stopped him short.

"Be quiet for a moment, Tsuna."

Tsuna snapped his mouth shut, having experienced Reborn's careful tone of voice one too many times for his liking. For that tone of voice often meant that something was wrong. And if that something was wrong enough to put even Reborn on guard, then that something probably warranted the anxiousness Tsuna was now beginning to feel.

For a long moment, it was perfectly still and silent. The only sounds were the gentle rustle of the trees in the wind and the only sight was of the empty suburban streets bathed in silver moonlight. But then he saw it, and whatever _it _was, Tsuna was fairly sure he'd never seen anything quite like it before.

It was only the briefest of glances, and if Tsuna hadn't been so on-guard, he probably wouldn't have even noticed anything amiss. A long, snowy mane of hair streamed out behind him (was it a him?), the dark folds of his kimono producing barely more than a whisper and his wooden shoes clacking lightly on the tiled rooftop. It was only a moment, but in that moment everything around him became a flurry of movement. The trees rustled louder, the wind gusted stronger, the moon shone brighter and Tsuna was left unable to move or think.

And then, he was gone and all was still once more.

Tsuna physically had to shake himself out of whatever strange trance had come over him before turning to the sun arcabeleno, expecting answers. Reborn always knew the answers after all.

"Who…?"

Reborn remained silent for a moment, thoughtful eyes following the phantom man's invisible path.

"He's headed toward Namimori Middle School." Reborn replied, pointing a tiny finger in the school's general direction.

Tsuna didn't fail to realise he had, as always, had his question completely ignored.

"Namimori Middle School?" Tsuna asked in confusion, "Why would he be headed there?"

Reborn shrugged before leaping up to ride on Tsuna's shoulder.

"Let's go, Tsuna."

"What? But it's already so late! Mum's probably had dinner ready for ages now!" Tsuna complained as Reborn gave him a sharp nudge in the shoulder with his heel.

"Hibari is always at Namimori Middle at this time. As the boss, are you really going to abandon a guardian?" Reborn asked as Tsuna huffed a sigh and began to jog.

"I keep telling you, I'm not the boss." Tsuna muttered, silently parting with the thoughts of the warm steak which would be waiting for him at home. "We'll probably only get in his way."

-V-

The first thing Tsuna noticed upon arriving at the front gates of Namimori Middle School was the shattering of a window as a figure was flung out. Squinting slightly, Tsuna soon felt his jaw drop when the figure staggered up and brushed himself off, seemingly unhurt, to reveal one pissed off looking Hibari Kyouya. Tsuna flinched as he saw Hibari examine the broken window with what seemed to be a deathly calm.

Then, before Tsuna could even so much as blink, Hibari had leapt back through the shattered window and another loud crash was heard.

"This looks bad." Tsuna said to Reborn as he bolted toward the broken window.

Reborn leapt off his shoulder as they reached it and Tsuna peered inside, seeing nothing but an empty classroom. The desks and chairs were strewn hazardously across the floor and the far wall had a large, gaping dent in it. Tsuna noted with slight terror that the dent seemed far too large for Hibari to have been the one who caused it. If it was fear for the thing itself that caused the dent or Hibari for being able to overpower whatever the thing was, Tsuna wasn't sure.

Whatever was going on here, it obviously wasn't good.

"Tsuna-" Reborn began, but Tsuna had already swallowed his pills.

"Yeah." Tsuna replied, flame burning to life on his forehead, "I know."

And then he was off, propelling himself through the corridors so fast he hardly saw the classrooms flash by. The 1st floor halls were silent, and Tsuna hovered for a second at the end of the corridor, attentive. Then, a thump from the floor above alerted him. With a burst of speed, Tsuna rocketed up the stairwell, careful to turn without denting the walls for fear of being bitten to death in the near future.

Following the sound, he soon found himself at the entrance to the art classroom, greeted with a sight he wasn't sure he really wanted to understand.

Hibari was guarding himself, his tonfas held up to protect his face as some duck-billed creature with razor sharp claws attacked relentlessly. The creature was approximately double what Hibari was wide, and had strange hoof-looking hind legs. Its body was draped in midnight black fur, and its singular eye, glowed a translucent yellow.

"What….is that?" Tsuna said, shocked.

"Now's not the time for stupid questions dame-Tsuna."

Reborn's voice pulled him from his shock-induced paralysis as the tiny hitman appeared next to him, seemingly out of thin air. Tsuna vaguely wondered if he'd used his array of secret doors to get here.

After a moment to gather himself, Tsuna launched his body straight at the creature, kicking it into the opposing wall with a resounding crash.

He hovered next to Hibari for a moment, watching the creature closely. It staggered a bit, looking dazed. Tsuna was about to ask if Hibari was okay when his instincts caused him to flip backward, dodging an unexpectedly aimed tonfa at the very last minute.

"H-Hibari-san?" Tsuna stammered confusedly as he righted himself, he'd had to flip to avoid Hibari's swing.

"I don't recall asking for your help, herbivore." Hibari stated coldly, "I'll have you pay for the damage you just caused to the school's wall."

Then, without another glance at Tsuna, he charged the opponent, flame flowing over his weapons as he proceeded. The duck-creature jeered at him, dodging his attack at the very last moment and causing the cloud guardian to skid to a stop moments before he collided with the wall.

Tsuna used this moment of lowered defence to launch an accelerated punch, sending the creature crashing to the floor. Hibari wasted no time, leaping toward the creature, his tonfas burning with his purple flame. When the creature kicked a hoof upward, Hibari dodged and landed an attack. It was weaker though, with his rhythm disturbed by the creature's counter, and so the creature rolled only a few metres.

Tsuna was about to launch his own attack when a rough kick in his stomach sent him flying back a bit. Surprised, Tsuna looked at Hibari.

"Stay out of my way." Hibari growled, turning back to the creature and raising his weapons. "I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna wasn't sure who exactly the threat had been meant for, but he hadn't any time to ponder because Hibari was suddenly moving at break-neck speed toward the creature. He was faster than he had been before, if possible, and Tsuna could only watch as the creature turned its head, eye wide in horror at its own impending doom.

And then the attack hit and the creature was sent hurtling backward, flying helplessly toward a nearby window.

It happened in a moment. Tsuna was watching closely as the creature flew, expecting to see the creature's body hit the window, or perhaps go through it with the power of Hibari's strike, but it never happened.

Instead, the creature's body stopped short, just shy of the window, before lowering slowly to the ground. It was almost gentle the way the creature was lain down, as if careful not to hurt it further and Tsuna, Hibari and Reborn all watched the action in utter bewilderment.

Then, before their very eyes, black tendrils of smoke floated into view, gathering more and more concentrated until a mane of snow-white hair appeared within it. Tsuna flinched backward subconsciously as the vaguely familiar man continued to materialise before him. His black and blue kimono seemed out of place in this modern classroom, and the sheathed sword by his side made him look like some ancient samurai. He crouched low to the ground, the creature cradled in his arms.

But what caught Tsuna's undivided attention were his eyes, which glowed a hauntingly beautiful shade of crimson red. He felt Hibari tense beside him, and could practically feel Hibari's bloodlust multiply at this mysterious figure's appearance.

The man watched them for a moment, his eyes gleaming with what seemed like curiosity, before lowering his gaze to the creature in his arms.

_So that's why the body didn't hit the wall._

The man gave a long winded sigh and addressed the creature softly.

"You are such a pain, I could've been on my way home by now if you hadn't run away from me. I hope you'll consider joining my ranks now that I've saved you."

The man's voice was deep and smooth, but less intimidating than Tsuna expected. In response to this, the creature gave a small whine of pain before spluttering a cough.

"D-don't get too full of yourself…"

Tsuna was shocked at the knowledge that this creature could speak, and soon found himself completely confused once again. Just who were these people?

The man's red eyes met Tsuna's and Tsuna clenched a fist in response, becoming instantly alert. There was something about those eyes which put him on edge, it was a strange mixture of fear, awe and allure. The man grinned devilishly in response, probably sensing Tsuna's confliction.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't attack my future comrade any further. It'd really be a shame if you killed him before I have him join me."

It took a moment for Tsuna to realise the man was addressing them now, not the creature.

"Who-" Tsuna began to speak but stopped short as Hibari made a small, disapproving noise and launched himself at the two.

Tsuna saw the man's eyes narrow in the split second before Hibari's attack hit, and when it did Tsuna did not hear the dull thump of metal connecting with flesh but rather, the clang of metal against metal. Shocked, Tsuna realised the man's sword was now out, his body in front of the fallen creature shielding Hibari's attack.

"Now, now. No need to get violent. I'm not here to bother you." The man said in a placating voice.

Hibari, however, remained unmoved.

"Annoying."

Instantly, he swung his other tonfa, connecting directly with the white-haired man's side.

"Ooof." The man gasped, eyes going wide in shock.

But then he grinned and Hibari's eyes narrowed as he realised his tonfa had passed through nothing but smoke.

"Just kidding."

And then the man appeared again, crouching on a desk nearby, his sword back in its sheath. He had an almost playful gleam in his eyes as Hibari attacked him again, leaping around as he dodged Hibari's strikes. Whenever he wasn't fast enough and looked about to be hit, he'd disappear in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear on the other side of the room.

_As slippery as an eel._

"Come on now, I said I didn't want to fight."

"Tsuna. What are you doing just staring you idiot?" Reborn asked, kicking him in the back and forcing him forward.

Taking the hint, Tsuna put on a burst of speed, fist outstretched in assault. The man, seemingly surprised that Tsuna had suddenly decided to attack him, didn't manage to dodge in time and instead raised his sheathed sword in defence. Tsuna grunted at the contact, causing the man to skid backward slightly, surprised the sword hadn't shattered. He thought wondrously how strong this man must be to not have been completely overwhelmed by his flame propelled punch. He did, however, notice that the man's eyes had lost its playfulness, his teeth gritting in exertion and his eyes sharpening.

They remained locked in an unmoving battle of power for what felt like an eternity. At this distance, the emotions those eyes had invoked in him felt all the more intense and, unnerved, Tsuna strengthened his resolve. Gathering forth an extra push of power, he propelled himself forward, causing the man's eyes to widen in shock as he was forced backward.

Then, those blood-coloured eyes snapped to the side and Tsuna too, noticed Hibari's fast approach. Tsuna could see the moment the man began to panic, his eyes beginning to dart around the room, searching for an escape and his brow furrowing in what Tsuna believed to be rapid thought.

Hibari was a hair's breadth away from connecting the finishing blow when he stopped short, seemingly frozen in mid-air.

"What…?" Hibari muttered, struggling against invisible confinements, yanking at his arms and legs in an attempt to free himself.

Tsuna, distracted by this strange turn of events, didn't notice the release of pressure on his arms until it was too late. He tumbled forward through a black cloud of smoke, propelled forward by his flame and crashed to the ground harshly. He groaned in pain after skidding to a stop, and rolled over onto his stomach to ease the stinging on his back.

The elusive man had reappeared over the fallen duck-creature, and now proceeded to take it into his arms once again. Turning to face Tsuna, his gaze lingered on him in what seemed almost like scholastic curiosity.

"Oi Rikuo."

Tsuna would've jumped at the unfamiliar voice if he hadn't been in so much pain. His eyes flew to the nearby window, now open and letting in a cold draft. Two new figures stood there, and upon noticing them too, Hibari went as rigid as a cat about to pounce.

_When did they…_

The one who had spoken, an older-looking man with scruffy hair, red eyes and a kimono which hung half open at his chest, revealing what Tsuna assumed were tattoos, stalked over to the white haired man and knocked him upside the head.

"Not trying to ditch us are you?" he growled.

The white haired man, Rikuo, glared back at him.

"I wasn't trying to ditch you. You were just too slow, Zen."

Tsuna could almost see a vein pop in the older man's neck.

"What did you say, brat?"

"This is no time for that!" The other, a young looking man with blonde hair who would've looked completely human if it weren't for the distinct lack of neck, exclaimed.

The blonde had his arms raised, scarlet strings extending themselves from his fingertips to wrap around Hibari's body. Tsuna gritted his teeth in realisation. So he had been the one who had stopped Hibari?

"What were you doing Rikuo-sama? You said this would be quick." Neckless accused, tightening his grip on his ropes as Hibari pulled sharply against them.

"My bad Kubinashi, I got a little…held up." Rikuo replied, his eyes darting toward Tsuna and Hibari.

The boy named Kubinashi sighed as he eyed the cloud guardian hanging in the confines of his ropes. "We should go before you cause any more trouble."

Rikuo nodded in acceptance, before turning to Zen.

"He needs healing. I don't know what these kids did to him but he's badly hurt."

Zen eyed the unconscious duck-creature for a moment and nodded his understanding. "I got it."

Taking this opportunity of brief distraction, Tsuna made a move to get up. He groaned softly at the pain and was nearly sitting upright when he felt himself being restrained. Snapping his head to the right, he noticed a rope wound around his wrist, so tight it felt as though his hand may fall off. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he turned to look at Kubinashi, who was watching him sharply.

"Stop it Kubinashi, that's enough." Rikuo commanded and, to Tsuna's surprise, Kubinashi's rope loosened slightly. "We're done here."

It seemed this wasn't the right thing to say, for at that moment Kubinashi's ropes jerked away from Hibari's form as if they'd been burnt and the cloud guardian dropped to the ground, enshrouded in his flame, looking furious.

"How dare you restrain me in my own school?" Hibari hissed coldly, dangerously. "I won't let you leave."

"Go!" Rikuo exclaimed, and instantaneously, Tsuna felt the ropes around him vanish.

Once satisfied that his two comrades had disappeared into the darkness with the duck-creature in tow, Rikuo turned to face the fast approaching Hibari.

"Pleasure meeting you."

And then he was gone in a cloud of black smoke as Hibari's tonfa once again passed through empty air. The last thing Tsuna recalled before he disappeared completely, was two pinpoints of glowing red, fading into the blackness of the night.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

"What are you doing just lying there?"

Tsuna didn't notice the small hitman beside him until he'd spoken.

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed as he rubbed his wrists, "Where have you been?"

"I've been here the whole time. I was observing."

At this, Tsuna wondered to himself whether it was worth the effort getting annoyed at his mentor for using their fight as some sort of research project. He soon decided it was probably not worth the kicks he'd receive in response. Reborn, all the while, looked as annoyingly calm and all-knowing as ever.

"What did you discover?" he asked instead.

"Well…" Reborn said, trailing off into thought, "Not much."

Tsuna eyed his mentor wearily as he stood up, careful not to move too quickly. Unfortunately, his back still ached in protest as the fabric of his t-shirt rubbed against raw skin. Tsuna took this opportunity to inspect his wrists gingerly, noting that there were indeed rope burn marks beginning to show.

"You stood by doing nothing, watched us get beaten up, and still found out nothing?" Tsuna huffed quietly to himself, but then noticing a malicious glint in the baby's eyes, Tsuna fumbled to cover for himself, "He had a strange power, didn't he?"

Reborn rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't know what it was. I've never encountered anything like it before."

Tsuna stared at Reborn in shock, not quite believing there could be anything Reborn hadn't experienced before.

"He wasn't overly fast," came Hibari's voice from a little further off, and Tsuna jumped, surprised that the cloud guardian was even talking to them. "But I couldn't hit him."

Hibari looked frustrated at this, or as frustrated as a stoic Hibari could look, like he couldn't quite understand how someone slower than him could've dodged his attacks.

"It must be his ability." Reborn supplied and logically it made sense, "Whatever that ability is, he was able to dodge your attacks without physically moving it seems."

Hibari's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"An illusion?"

Reborn tilted his hat downward, hiding whatever expression he'd been wearing.

"Perhaps."

Hibari's face darkened further at this, if possible, before he turned toward the door. It seemed that was all the talking Tsuna could expect from Hibari for one night.

He almost sighed in relief when he realised Hibari was leaving, it wasn't good for his heart to spend too much time with the violent, unpredictable cloud guardian after all. However, Hibari paused at the door turning to pin Tsuna with an icy glare.

"I haven't forgotten your damage to the school. You will be punished in due time."

And then with a flutter of his jacket, Hibari Kyoya stalked out of the room and Tsuna was left staring after him in pure terror. He was definitely going to get bitten to death.

-V-

They travelled under a blanket of darkness. Swift and on high alert, avoiding every person or creature they seemed about to cross and keeping completely out of sight. The encounter earlier had left Rikuo on edge. He'd never fought anyone with such strange power before, and if it weren't for Kubinashi and Zen appearing at that exact moment, he'd probably be in a world of trouble. The trio paused at the river, exchanging a glance in silent agreement as they descended beneath a nearby bridge.

Kubinashi remained on watch as Zen lay the duck-demon onto the ground and, hidden in the shadows beneath the bridge, proceeded to check his wounds. As he tended to the demon's injuries, Rikuo sat nearby and watched him with glazed eyes, his mind running at a mile a minute.

"What's bothering you?" Zen asked after a while, not taking his attention away from his patient.

He was currently in the process of cleaning an open wound on the demon's head and applying some sort of salve. Rikuo watched on with mild interest as his sworn-brother worked, silently admiring the litheness of his fingers and the precision of his application.

"He engulfed himself in purple flames." Rikuo uttered, "Were they demons?"

Zen pursed his lips in thought, brow furrowing.

"It didn't feel like fear." Zen replied, "They looked human."

"Then who exactly were they?"

They were silent for a heartbeat before Kubinashi supplied,"Vongola." from his perch on a nearby rock. Zen stilled at the word and, seeing this, Rikuo felt all the more confused.

"Vongola?" Rikuo asked, "What's that?"

The neckless boy looked unusually serious.

"The largest mafia family in the human world, they're probably as close to the Nura clan in age as any Human family can get." he explained, "We encountered them a few times during your father's era, but he preferred to avoid them when he could."

Rikuo was surprised by this development.

"My father?" he asked in bewilderment., "He fought against them?"

"As I said, he didn't like to be caught up in their politics but Vongola is a vast family. We had some altercations with them in the past. Lost quite a few good demons in our battles."

Rikuo took a moment to process this information, allowing the idea of an age-old mafia family to truly sink in. A mafia family that, apparently, his father had fought in the past and had lost demons to. Were they truly that strong?

"But they're only kids! How can they be a part of the human mafia?" Rikuo asked incredulously.

At this, Zen sent him a withering look.

"In case you hadn't noticed _young master, _you're 13 and you command an army of demons." he said with a sniff of wry amusement.

"13 is the age of adulthood for a demon." Rikuo argued, "Why would human kids my age be a part of the largest mafia family in the world? It doesn't make sense."

"Well, it may not make sense Rikuo-sama, but I believe it to be true." Kubinashi said, "It would, for one, explain why they wield such a power."

Rikuo had to admit that was true. No ordinary person would ever be able to conjure flames from thin air, nor use it to attack in such well-practised fluidity.

_Or fly. _

Rikuo almost snorted aloud at the ridiculousness of the thought. If he hadn't fought that boy face to face whilst the latter was hovering a good metre in the air, then he wouldn't have believed it. Only extremely powerful demons could fly without wings, and since that boy had neither been a demon nor had wings, the thought was almost ludicrous.

"There have also been rumours that the 10th heir lives in this town." Kubiashi supplied, and at this Rikuo's eyes widened.

"10 generations?" Rikuo asked incredulously, "They're that old?"

And then after a moment Rikuo's face fell as another thought hit him.

"Does that mean one of those two we just met could be the heir to the largest mafia family in the human world?" Rikuo queried in slight disbelief. "We may have just fought against Vongola the 10th?"

"It's possible." Kubinashi replied, looking grim.

Zen snorted before muttering under his breath, "One of those brats will be taking over the family? What is this strange sense of déjà vu I feel?"

Ignoring him, Rikuo once again allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. Vongola, a large mafia family, had an heir in Namimori. Said heir obviously wasn't very widely known as even Kubinashi seemed to have no idea who it was. Murders. Of all places, he had been sent here on a mission.

Pieces of the puzzle began clicking into place, his mind making connections which weren't possible prior to this newfound knowledge.

"Our mission here…" Rikuo began, "It's probably not all it seems."

He could almost see the answers, those threads of thought so tantalisingly close that he could almost, just almost, reach out and grab them. However, he was still missing something here. When both Zen and Kubinashi looked at him curiously, Rikuo sat up a little straighter.

"I was thinking it was weird for the old man to show interest in my night parade. He's never recommended any demons before, so why would he begin now?" Rikuo explained, eyeing his two comrades in all seriousness, "There must be something else happening here."

_The Previous Day_

"_You called, grandpa?" Rikuo announced as he slid the door to his grandpa's room open, kneeling at the doorway politely._

_The old man was sitting cross-legged on his tatami mat, a small table adorned with teapot and teacup directly in front of him and his pipe in one hand._

"_I have information for you." Nurarihyon said, leisurely taking a puff from his pipe and exhaling a gust of smoke._

"_Information?" Rikuo enquired curiously, "What type of information?"_

"_There's been sightings of a strong demon a few towns over. They say he's a lone wolf." clarified the elder, sending Rikuo a significant look through the smoke._

_Rikuo blinked slowly at this, slightly confused. _

"_You're telling me to go recruit him?" Rikuo asked._

_Nurarihyon smiled far too knowingly for Rikuo's liking but having experienced the sensation many times prior, Rikuo managed to suppress his annoyance at the man's ambiguity. Noticing this, the elder gave his grandson a shrewd smile._

"_All I'm doing is giving you information. What you choose to do with it is up to you, Rikuo."_

_Present_

All three of them exchanged an irked look.

"That man, will he ever tell us anything straight?" Zen huffed, applying a bandage perhaps a little tighter then strictly needed.

"But for your grandpa to send you here so specifically, it must mean there's something really big happening." Kubinashi added, and Rikuo nodded in agreement.

"It's probably got something to do with the infamous locals." Zen supplied, snorting in slight contempt.

"I would suspect so too." Kubinashi agreed.

Rikuo let out a sigh, feeling suddenly exhausted.

"Why did I ever agree to come here?"

-V-

"I wonder what happened last night. Hibari's been more violent than usual today." Yamamoto Takeshi, rain guardian, noted to his two companions. "And also, room 2-A and the art room are a complete mess."

"He's been stampeding around the school with those metal sticks of his all morning." Gokudera Hayato added, taking a puff from his cigarette. "He's already threatened to 'bite me to death' eight times and slammed me into five walls."

From their usual position on the roof Tsuna watched in pity as Hibari punctured a hole in the soccer ball which had happened near him and toss the deflated thing back to the students on the field.

Gokudera snorted when Hibari sent a tonfa into some huge guy's stomach. The poor boy had apparently thought he'd been strong enough to confront Hibari head on. He was either incredibly stupid or new to the school. It seemed that as long as Gokudera himself wasn't on the receiving end of Hibari's temper, he found the whole thing quite entertaining.

"Who's that kid? Is he new?" Gokudera asked with a wry smile.

"Now that you mention it I've never seen him around before. He must be one of the exchange students." Yamamoto supplied helpfully and Gokudera snorted again, muttering a 'figures'.

Tsuna thought back to earlier this morning, when their class had been introduced to an exchange student of their own. He'd all but jumped out of his pants at hearing the name 'Rikuo'. Having not been paying attention- his thoughts of last night had been ruling his mind- Tsuna had leapt out of his chair, fists raised, expecting to see long white hair and blood red eyes.

Instead, he was met with the shocked gaze of a small bespectacled boy, shorter than he was amazingly, with spiky brown hair and wide eyes. Tsuna had felt his heart calm, relief flooding him, but had found himself still unable to relax. The class had proceeded to snicker in response to his antics as the teacher told him to sit down with slight exasperation. Gokudera and Yamamoto eyed him weirdly as he sat rigidly.

Rikuo was seated directly behind Yamamoto and, being the kind of guy he was, the baseball player instantly turned and introduced himself. Tsuna watched the exchange carefully, his mind racing.

Rikuo wasn't all that common a name. In fact, before this week Tsuna hadn't ever encountered someone with that name and yet, he'd now met two in the past two days alone. Was it a coincidence?

He watched as Rikuo laughed brightly at something Yamamoto had said, uninhibited and free and felt himself doubt this intuition. Was he wrong? Or was there something more to Rikuo than met the eye?

Tsuna was brought back to the present by Yamamoto's voice.

"Wow that guy's pretty tough. If it were anyone else, they'd be on the ground from just one of Hibari's strikes."

Tsuna drew his focus back and noticed, astounded, that the huge boy indeed still stood. Not only had he not fallen, but he'd also managed to grab one of Hibari's tonfas mid-strike.

"Tch."was all Gokudera said, but Tsuna could tell that even the storm guardian was suitably impressed.

Hibari and the exchange student glared at each other for a long moment and Tsuna became increasingly worried that a fight would break out. Before it could escalate however, he saw a figure running toward the two and, with a start, Tsuna realised it was Rikuo.

The small boy grasped the large boy's arm and pulled, saying something rapidly to him. From their distance, there was no way Tsuna could hear what was being said but whatever it was, it seemed to serve its intended purpose.

The large boy released Hibari's tonfa, to which Rikuo gave a small smile of approval. Hibari however, was not placated, immediately aiming a hit at the boy's stomach. This time, the boy skidded backward from the strength of it. He did not raise to the challenge however, choosing instead to follow Rikuo as they both bowed to Hibari in apology before scurrying off.

"Ah, so he was Rikuo's friend. It's amazing that such a small guy can stop a fight like that." Yamamoto said admiringly, "Right, Tsuna?"

Tsuna rubbed at the back of his head, not knowing quite how to respond to this. Gokudera however, spluttered.

"What are you saying you baseball idiot! The 10th could probably stop one hundred fights like that!" Gokudera exclaimed in outrage, before turning to Tsuna, "Right, 10th?"

_You have no idea that you just insulted me do you, Gokudera-kun?_

Tsuna laughed wearily as the two began to bicker. Well, by bicker he meant Gokudera spouting insults at Yamamoto whilst the latter simply laughed them all off as if the insults were not directed at him. Tsuna found himself smiling at the familiar sight. Those two would fight endlessly, but anyone could see how much faith they had in each other when it mattered.

_Speaking of fights…_

"Actually guys, I wanted to tell you something." Tsuna began, and instantly his two friends looked to him in full attention. "It's about last night."

-V-

"All that really happened last night?" Yamamoto asked looking shocked.

"To think that I wasn't there to help the 10th when he needed me!" Gokudera seemed devastated at his own absence, "What if you had been seriously hurt?"

Tsuna felt the dull throb of his back and eyed his wrists, marked but hidden beneath the sleeves of his uniform.

"I'm fine Gokudera-kun." Tsuna assured him in the gentlest voice he could muster.

"But 10th! What kind of right-hand-man can I call myself if I'm not there when you need me?"

Tsuna wanted to sigh, but instead gave Gokudera a helpless look and turned to Yamamoto instead.

"Yamamoto-kun, I wanted to ask. What do you think of Rikuo?"

"No matter how you look at it, they sound too different." Yamamoto said, looking thoughtful, "Though, he might be a mist user."

Tsuna recalled that Hibari had reached the same conclusion yesterday and it was indeed a plausible answer. If Rikuo was a mist user, he'd be able to freely manipulate his appearance. But it required a lot of energy to maintain an illusion so flawless, and for these illusions to be solid, tangible beings, was a feat Tsuna doubted even Mukuro himself would be able to maintain for long. There was also the question then, of which one was the real Rikuo. Was it the one he'd fought last night? Who's eyes pierced him so thoroughly and who's strength felt so very real? Or was it the small, fragile boy Tsuna had come to know during class today? If Rikuo utilised mist flames, which perfect illusion had he managed to sustain?

"Hibari and Reborn said the same thing, but even Reborn wasn't sure." Tsuna admitted.

"Well, why don't we just ask the expert?" Gokudera, who was seemingly finished with his self-pity, suggested.

"Who do you mean?" Yamamoto asked and Gokudera shot him a condescending look.

"Chrome of course, idiot."

Tsuna nodded at this, his face lighting up.

"That's a great idea Gokudera-kun!"Tsuna exclaimed, not quite believing he hadn't thought of that before.

At his precious boss's praise, Gokudera smiled modestly and rubbed the back of his head. It was an uncharacteristic gesture that everyone knew was reserved for Tsuna alone.

"No, no, not at all 10th! I was merely reaching the logical conclusion." Gokudera said, a little too loudly, and then proceeded to laugh just as loudly.

Tsuna smiled at Gokudera, the boy who was positively glowing.

"We'll go ask her after school." Tsuna replied.

-V-

"Well that answers the question of whether or not grandpa wants us to stay here." Rikuo murmured dryly, eyeing his enrolment forms powerlessly, "I can't believe he enrolled me here without my knowledge! And you two as well! Just how far ahead did he plan?"

"It's a great school though, isn't it Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara Oikawa exclaimed, ever eager, "It feels almost like home."

Rikuo smiled at her enthusiasm, grateful that she and Aotabo were once again by his side. After all, when it came to school, these two were what he was used to. Their familiarity was comforting amidst all the unanswered questions. The school too, wasn't all that different from his school back home in Ukiyoe. Even the architecture and layout were strangely similar.

"I would agree if it weren't for that kid trying to knock me down earlier." Aotabo, or Kurata in his human form, said with a slight sniff.

"He was one of the ones we fought last night. He seemed rather violent." Rikuo noted, and Aotabo nodded perceptively.

"He was strong." the large man observed, "He managed to push me back."

The three of them clambered up the empty stairs, heading for the roof. Rikuo vaguely wondered if it would really be empty here too. It always baffled him how few other students would use the roof during lunch when it was such a pleasant place to eat. It had gotten to the point where Rikuo began to consider calling it 'their' roof.

"You shouldn't have left without us last night Rikuo-sama. It was dangerous!" Tsurara pouted as she spoke and Rikuo's smile turned apologetic.

"Sorry Tsurara, I thought a smaller group was all that I'd need. I would've gone alone if Grandpa hadn't mentioned to take Zen along. Kubinashi happened to be there as we were heading out and insisted on coming along too." Rikuo explained, "Although, it's probably better that they did come after all."

Both Tsurara and Aotabo exchanged a concerned glance.

"No, no, not at all 10th! I was merely reaching the logical conclusion!"

All three paused as they reached the door, a little surprised at the voice. Rikuo frowned in thought at the strange name. What kind of nickname was '10th'? And then it hit him, and Rikuo's eyes widened. His instincts acted before he had a chance to stop them and, slightly impatient, he pushed the door open.

He was met with three surprised gazes, two of whom he only vaguely recognised and one which he recognised all too well. One got to know the appearance of one's enemy if he managed to lock you in such close combat after all. Rikuo had learned his name in class earlier, after asking a classmate.

"_Oh him? His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but most of us call him Dame-Tsuna. He really is hopeless at everything."_

Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw them, and for a moment they stood in complete silence, both parties seemingly shocked at the sight of one another.

"Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara asked, concerned at his strange silence.

At this, Tsuna visibly tensed and in response, Rikuo also stiffened.

_Does he recognise me? Maybe he recognises the name. Of course he would recognise it! It's not like 'Rikuo' is very common. I should've thought to use a different name._

After a moment of tense silence, Rikuo decided this was far too ridiculous for their first official meeting. With slight reluctance, Rikuo advanced toward Tsuna's group, not failing to notice the way his two companions, even Yamamoto, shifted ever so slightly to place their bodies between them. It much reminded him of what Aotabo and Tsuara sometimes did for him when they sensed danger.

_They suspect us already. Well, at least I know who's guarding who._

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be on the roof. At our school, it's usually empty." Rikuo said in greeting, hoping to diffuse some of the tension.

For Yamamoto, it seemed enough for him to relax. Although, Rikuo doubted he was even aware he'd been on guard to begin with. Both Tsuna and the silver haired boy though, remained unmoving.

"We often eat up here at lunch." Yamamoto said, friendly.

Rikuo smiled at him. "It's really pleasant up here, isn't it?"

Noticing that the other two still seemed suspicious, Rikuo laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced yet have we? You probably already know but I'm Nura Rikuo, this is Kurata and she's Oikawa." RIkuo hoped his friendly-act was convincing. "We just transferred here today."

"Look, I don't know who you think you are -" the silver hair boy growled.

Tsuna placed a hand on Gokudera's shoulder and, with a slightly indignant look, Gokudera stopped short. Rikuo noted the unfaltering obedience of the so called 'Gokudera' with interest. If he had been unsure before, this all but confirmed it for him.

"It's alright Gokudera-kun." Tsuna said with a small smile which Rikuo couldn't decide was entirely genuine or not, "It's very nice to meet you, Nura-kun."

_It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Vongola Decimo._

"Likewise, Sawada-kun."

* * *

**A/N:** And so they meet! I hope you're all enjoying this story thus far, it really is a joy to write!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thankyou all for the response I've received thus far, especially from you reviewers. It joys me to know I've got people reading this!

Also I probably should've said this earlier but this fic is currently un-beta'd so please feel free to point out any spelling/grammatical errors you find.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"We're home."

Kubinashi looked up from his place by the window, a book propped open on his lap and a litter of snacks on the table beside him. He had obviously been entranced with whatever he'd been reading as he jumped a little as they entered. With a smile as they closed the door, he shut the novel and stood to greet them.

"Welcome back."

They were currently staying in a small apartment just outside of central Namimori. Nurarihyon himself had chosen the place. It was quaint, a simple 3 bedroom apartment with a lounge, dining area and kitchen all within the one main room. It was far more westernised than anything Rikuo was accustomed to back home, and a great deal smaller, but it was big enough for the 6 of them to live relatively comfortably in. Though, for what reason his grandpa hadn't chosen somewhere closer to the middle school they attended, RIkuo didn't know. He had cursed the time it took to reach the school this morning, for it had made him wake far too early.

"How's the demon doing? Any changes?" Rikuo asked as he dropped his bag onto the sofa.

Tsurara and Aotabo did the same, the latter proceeding to slump onto the sofa after it and the former heading straight into the kitchen probably to seek out something edible.

Kubinashi shook his head in response, looking a little put-out.

"He broke his fever this morning but nothing's changed apart from that. Most of the time he spends sleeping, and when he does wake it's for barely more than 10 minutes at a time. Whatever those kids did to him, it wasn't pleasant."

Rikuo pursed his lips at this. He'd wanted to talk to their patient, hoping to get some information about the recent happenings. Or if even that was too much to ask, a name at the very least, so he could stop calling him 'the duck-billed-demon' in his head.

"Has he mentioned what his name is?"

Kubinashi looked thoughtful for a moment, his head bobbing calmly as he tried to remember, before hitting a fist into his palm in recollection.

"Leo." Kubinashi confirmed, "I believe that's what he said."

Aotabo raised one of his almost non-existent eyebrows at the foreign sounding name.

"Leo? What kind of a name is Leo?"

"It is a pretty strange name for a demon. Are you sure he's from Japan?" Rikuo asked, sliding down onto the sofa next to Aotabo and smiling thankfully as Tsurara passed him a half-frozen glass of water.

"Well, no." Kubinashi replied, "We can't be certain he is."

"A foreign demon. This mission just keeps getting stranger and stranger." Aotabo grunted as he sipped his own glass.

Rikuo nodded in agreement, allowing the refreshing coolness of his drink to wash over his tongue as he drank. It felt wonderful as it slid down his throat, and helped clear his head somewhat after a tiresome day. Kubinashi looked to Aotabo at the mention of the mission.

"Did you manage to find out anything new today?"

"Well according to Rikuo-sama, Vongola the 10th is his classmate."

Kubinashi looked startled at this revelation, turning to give Rikuo an incredulous stare.

"Vongola the 10th is in your class? Was he one of the ones we fought last night?"

Rikuo nodded at this and Kubinashi bit his lip.

"He's the one which shot the flames from his hands." Rikuo confirmed.

"Did you talk to him at all?"

With a nod, Rikuo thought back to their meeting on the roof. After their introductions, Yamamoto had been entirely warm and welcoming, chatting away to Aotabo as if they'd been diaper friends. Although Gokudera didn't seem to like them very much, he hadn't seemed openly hostile anymore once Tsuna had stepped in. Observing their dynamics, Rikuo soon had no doubt left in his mind that he'd found the 10th heir of Vongola. Despite his slight frame and seemingly lack of aura, both Yamamoto and Gokudera appeared to follow Tsuna readily. Rikuo, of all people, knew never to judge by appearances alone. After all, he'd fought against Tsuna once already and there was absolutely no denying that the boy was strong.

Small things observed in the way they interacted allowed Rikuo to understand their relationship. The way Gokudera and Yamamoto would ask Tsuna certain things, pulling him back into the conversation even if Tsuna had nothing to do with it, indicated their desire for his constant presence. The way they'd subtlety brush their knees against his or poke one of his shoulders in jest, as if to reassure themselves that he was still there and safe. Or even the way they'd look at him, completely attentive whenever he spoke, as if his every word were of utmost importance. Then, there was the way Tsuna reacted in response to his friends. His small, fond smiles at their bickering. His sharp, intuitive eyes, ever watchful, if they grew too passionate. The ease of his communication between them. All of it indicated to Rikuo the strength of the mutual trust.

He was pulled out of his musings when Tsurara dropped down onto the floor to the right of the sofa, leaning against the armrest closest to him.

"He's smaller than I expected him to be." Tsurara piped in, "And he doesn't look all that strong either."

Rikuo gave her an exasperated smile as Aotabo snorted amusedly, "Um Tsurara…"

The ice-demon looked at him obliviously for a second or two before her eyes widened and a pink flush flew across her cheeks.

"I-I mean of course being small doesn't mean he's not strong! After all Rikuo-sama is smaller than him and is very strong!" she exclaimed, waving her arms around frantically.

Rikuo winced at this but let it go without comment. Turning back to Kubinashi, he could tell the latter was fighting off a smile. The blonde man's lips twitched upward at the corners as he turned his head into his hands and coughed politely. Aotabo however, was not so kind, openly guffawing. Tsurara frowned and sunk a little lower, looking ashamed at herself. Rikuo sighed and gave her a reassuring glance just as Zen walked out of a nearby door wiping his hands clean on a towel.

"You guys sure are rowdy."

Rikuo looked to Zen, eyes lighting up.

"Zen! How is he?"

Zen walked over to them before collapsing onto an armchair nearby with a tired sounding sigh.

"He's woken up a few times but hasn't had the energy to talk very much. The most he's spoken today was to tell me his name and ask for you, Rikuo."

Rikuo was surprised.

"He's asked for me?"

"Yeah, I think he wants to tell you something. It seems pretty important too, considering how insistent he's been."

Zen rubbed his face with a slow hand and Rikuo noticed how exhausted the older man looked. Concerned, Rikuo wondered if he'd slept last night at all.

"Do you think it's something to do with what's happening here in Namimori?"

"Probably." Zen said, yawning.

Rikuo looked at him worriedly.

"You should get some rest Zen, he'll be fine without you for a few hours won't he?" Rikuo suggested, and Zen gave him a tired smile.

"Yeah, perhaps that's a good idea. Won't do to hurt him more because I fell asleep tending to his wounds." Zen agreed, but then looked to Rikuo questioningly, "You'll be alright without me tonight then? I heard you wanted to patrol."

Rikuo took a glance out the window and felt his lip quirk upward. The sun was beginning to set, the sky burning a passionate orange as its light began to fade. Soon, it would be night.

"It'll be fine with just Kubinashi and I. Aotabo and Tsurara will stay behind and wake you if anything changes with the demon."

Zen looked placated.

"Then, I'll leave it up to you."

If Zen had been more awake he probably would have seen the glint of red in Rikuo's eyes and the playful smirk which had begun upon the boy's lips, hinting to his impending transformation. The poison-feathered demon didn't notice however, instead closing his eyes and drifting into a deep, comfortable slumber.

-V-

White, lifeless eyes swept across the abandoned warehouse, taking in every dent, every crack, every window; every exit. Its keen ears plucked the sound of human laughter and conversation from the wind, quickly identifying the noise as having come from further North, toward the town centre. The night was still young after all, and those unsuspecting humans were out enjoying themselves. Foolishly, they believed themselves invincible. Despite the murders and disappearances littering the news, no one ever seemed to believe it would happen to them.

The hunched figure crouched unmoving upon a branch nearby, hidden by the shrouding darkness of the forest-like cluster of trees surrounding the warehouse. It simply sat there, watching, waiting, much like a lioness stalking her prey, although nowhere near as majestic. The moon cast its weary glow upon it, almost as if unwilling to provide its light in aid to its horrid mission. The creature however, basked in the waning light, a hideous grin stretching its scaled lips as it caught sight of movement.

Then, it pounced.

-V-

"Although it may be a little different, it could be similar to what happens when Mukuro-sama uses my body to fight." Chrome suggested, nibbling on a chocolate bar thoughtfully, "Perhaps he's channelling someone?"

Tsuna was on the couch beside Chrome, fiddling with the snack a reluctant Ken had thrown at him earlier along with an annoyed, '_This is all you're getting-byon.' _Gokudera was sprawled on the ground in front of them, legs extended and arms supporting him from behind, seemingly not caring how dusty the floor seemed to be. His usual cigarette was absent and Tsuna suspected it was the bomber's roundabout way of showing concern for Chrome's health. Yamamoto sat beside Tsuna on the couch listening intently. Outside, the sun had dropped below the horizon, no longer painting the world with its brilliant hues of sunset red and orange, but instead bowing to consent the shadows their rein for the night. The neglected room they sat in was illuminated only by a lone candle at Gokudera's feet, bathing them in a muted yellow light.

"Would you be able to tell if you saw him?" Yamamoto asked.

"I don't know…"

Chrome looked unsure of herself.

"I'm nowhere as good as Mukuro-sama so I don't know if I'd be able to see through an illusion as powerful as something like this." she said, pausing for a moment, "I could call Mukuro-sama if you want."

The three boys instantly cringed.

"No, that's fine." Tsuna said quickly, "Besides, I doubt he'd help us anyway."

Chrome nodded in response to this, continuing to eat her chocolate silently. The four sat in a comfortable lull for a moment or two, contemplating what Chrome had said. Possession and channelling were both very rare techniques which required a great deal of power. If Rikuo had mastered one of these techniques, and from what Tsuna had seen Rikuo had definitely mastered _something_, then he may be incredibly powerful. This realisation only served to fuel Tsuna's curiosity.

"If he's using an ability like that, doesn't that mean he could be really strong?" Gokudera asked, surprisingly on a similar wavelength as Tsuna.

"Yes, if he's using one of those mist abilities he would need a very strong dying will flame." Chrome confirmed.

"Well, it would make more sense if he's powerful rather than weak. After all, he managed to fool even the 10th's hyper intuition."

It was true. Tsuna had no idea which Rikuo was the true one as of right now, or even if the two were connected. There was still no proof that the two Rikuos were the same person at all. Yamamoto had asked him earlier, "Are you really sure about this Tsuna? I know you have that intuition thing the kid keeps mentioning, but is Rikuo really that suspicious?"

Tsuna hadn't known how to answer that because although he'd originally been apprehensive of Rikuo's name in class, after spending lunch with him and his friends the smaller boy had seemed extraordinarily normal. There was nothing to indicate he was the frightening white-haired man Tsuna had fought with the previous night, not even a split-second glimpse of an underlying personality. He'd been polite, gracious and overall very pleasant to be around. If Tsuna hadn't learned to trust his instinct in the past, he'd have thought the suspicion he still felt now to be completely wrong.

In ways, Rikuo also reminded him a little of himself. But perhaps, that was the exact reason Tsuna felt so drawn to him. After all, Tsuna himself was not just another average day civilian, no matter how hard he wished to be.

A moment longer and then there was a sudden crash from somewhere below them, the crumble of what sounded like cement and the shattering of glass. Tsuna jolted out of his reverie at this, just as Chrome did the same; she seemed to have been thinking quite deeply too. With a quick, concerned glance exchanged between the four, they all leapt to their feet and rushed to a nearby window.

Peering down to the ground below, Tsuna was shocked at what he saw. A fist tightened instinctively at one side whilst at the other, a hand automatically flew to the container of pills tucked safely away in the depths of his pockets.

There was a creature standing below, its figure shrouded in a black, billowing, cloak-like presence. Tsuna wasn't sure if it were even clothing that it wore, with the way it seemed to float suspended in the air, and with the ambiguity of its shape, there was no telling where the creature's 'cloak' ended and where the darkness of the surrounding night began.

From this distance, it was hard to see exactly what the creature was, but the aura it exuded was eerily familiar, and not at all pleasant. For a moment he struggled to place it, but then it occurred to him where he had felt this very same thing before. It was the same sensation he'd felt when facing that duck-billed creature and the white haired Rikuo. And if Tsuna paused for a second to identify what this sensation was, he'd describe it as a sense of unease so palatable that it felt almost like the slow trickling of water as it bathed him.

"What...is that?" Gokudera asked, his voice rough with tension.

Tsuna could tell how uneasy the bomber was from the way his hands fiddled restlessly with the hidden bombs on his body. Yamamoto was likewise rigid, his entire form poised as if for battle and his fingers trailing the hilt of his _katana_. Chrome on the other hand, watched with wide eyes as she noticed something else. In its iron-like grasp was Chikusa gasping for breath, and at its feet lay Ken, unmoving. The creature hissed at the boy and Chikusa choked.

"Ken! Chikusa!"

The creature looked up, right at them and Tsuna gulped a dry breath. Tossing Chikusa aside, it leapt. The four of them flew backward on instinct as it came soaring through the window, a whole two stories higher than it had been on the ground. It was lucky they had reacted so quickly too, for Tsuna imagined if they'd remained anywhere within reaching distance they'd all be long dead. A cold shiver worked its way down his spine.

The creature eyed them for a moment from its perch on the window sill, before its body pulsated with some unseen energy, sending a stifling wave of power toward them. It was strong enough to send them all skidding backward. The creature was soon upon them, faster than any other creature Tsuna had ever seen. He hardly glimpsed it as it appeared before each of them in turn.

Yamamoto was first, his beautiful blue flame flaring to life on his ring as he drew his sword. He managed to block an attack just as it was about to connect with his neck, grunting a little in either exertion or surprise. However, the thing swiped another hand at Yamamoto, which was once again blocked, before twisting its body around at an inhuman speed, like a pitch black twister, and connecting a strike at the swordsman's legs.

His legs flew from under him and Yamamoto fell shoulder-first into the ground, a small whimper of pain escaping him as he came to a rest. The thing made it look far too easy.

Before it could deliver a fatal blow though, Gokudera cursed and threw a handful of bombs at his assailant. The creature hissed at this and leapt away, allowing the bombs to explode in nothing but empty air. The creature's assault on Gokudera was as swift as Yamamoto's. Gokdera's bombs littered the room within a second of his last attack failing, but somehow, the creature had already gotten in too close.

Clearly at a disadvantage due to both the close range and the unexpectedness of the situation, Gokudera fell to a sharp kick to the side of his head. His bombs exploded simultaneously and Tsuna immediately flew to Chrome's side as she shielded them from the explosions.

Gritting his teeth, Tsuna scanned the room desperately, his heart pounding in his ears. All he saw was the dank darkness of the abandoned room they stood in. Yamamoto lay to his right and Gokudera somewhere nearby. The creature was nowhere to be seen.

_Where is it?_

Then, he felt the cold, dreaded aura directly beside him and he went still. For a moment, Tsuna could do nothing other than exhale a small, stuttered breath under the stifling presence of his attacker. Hands clammy within his gloves, he was terrified in a way he hadn't been since the moment he'd flown head-first into the all-absorbing flame of Ghost, not knowing whether he'd make it out alive.

But that fear had been different. At that time, he'd had the adrenaline of battle flowing through his veins, and the resolve to save his friends feeding him strength. Now though, his friends had fallen and he felt nothing but a numbing despair.

It was suffocating.

Then, Chrome latched onto his wrist and squeezed sharp and hard, and Tsuna reacted instantly. He gathered her in his arms as he propelled himself backward, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike to what would've been his jugular. He soon realised that not even a second had passed since Gokudera had fallen.

He landed next to the silver haired bomber, and Chrome immediately knelt down to tend to him. Tsuna however, remained staring at the creature who, instead of advancing and attacking again, was simply looking at him, or perhaps leering was the more correct term.

Now that he'd finally gotten a proper look at it, Tsuna felt all the more uneasy. Its white, soulless eyes bored into his own and its disfigured face, though hidden partly in the darkness, was thoroughly disturbing. When it spoke, Tsuna needed to physically restrain himself from shuddering.

"So it was you."

Its voice was more of a hiss than anything, but was toned with a rasp one would often associate with long-term chain smokers. Despite it all though, Tsuna thought its voice was strangely understated. Not quite grand or terrible enough to be befitting of such a terrifying appearance.

"We've found you."

Tsuna did not pause to consider the use of a plural pronoun in this case, he was far too busy contemplating the fact that this thing had been searching for him. He wondered if he should even be surprised anymore, after all every bad thing that had happened recently had revolved around the Vongola in one way or another. Such was the fate of the heir to such a long-standing _famiglia_, which was precisely the reason Tsuna refused to accept this role in the first place.

But now was not the time for that.

"Who are you?"

The creature did not answer immediately, continuing to stare at Tsuna in what seemed almost like fascination. It seemed people were fond of trying to dissect him with their eyes lately. Eventually though, it responded.

"Young Vongola, show me your power."

There was no time for Tsuna to be confused however, because the creature had launched itself at him. It was too fast to dodge this time, and so Tsuna braced himself for the attack, arms rising to guard his face, chest and neck. But then, something baffling happened.

The creature simply stopped, seemingly of its own accord, barely a few strides away from Tsuna. It took him a moment to realise it was staring, not at him, but at something behind him. Tsuna wasn't sure if he wanted to turn around, or if he could risk doing so. But he knew that remaining ignorant of whatever had appeared behind him would be utterly idiotic, especially as it had made this creature stop.

Taking advantage of this pause, Tsuna ducked low to the ground, coiled and ready to move at any moment, but twisting his body in a way which allowed him to see both parties. It probably should've surprised him more than it did to see Rikuo and Zen crouching near the wall at the far end of the building, but somehow Tsuna had almost expected it. What he noticed instead, was that Rikuo was bleeding. His once white hair was matted with blood and dirt, and his kimono hung completely open from his hips upward. Bruises and gaping cuts littered his chest and the arm grasping his sword was limp. If that wasn't indication enough, from the way Zen hovered over him like a mother panther guarding her cubs, it was obvious he wasn't doing all that well.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" the creature hissed finally and interestingly enough, Tsuna felt no immediate animosity between the two. "I see my siblings have given you a fine welcome."

Rikuo quirked a smirk at this, though its effect was significantly lessened by his heavy breathing and heaving chest. Tsuna tensed. What was going on?

"Just here to see an old friend." Rikuo said pleasantly, "I hope you won't mind passing along my greetings."

And then, to Tsuna's complete surprise, the creature swept into a bow. It was one a butler may give to a guest of his household, polite and gracious.

"Of course."

Rikuo offered it a tight-lipped smile in return before catching Tsuna's eye briefly. Tsuna glared in return, feeling far too confused by this situation to offer anything more civil and still very cautious of Rikuo. When the creature straightened, its blank eyes surveyed the room for a moment longer before turning its attention back to Rikuo. A significant look was exchanged between the two and the underlying tension became obvious once more. After a moment of thick silence, the creature took a step toward a window.

"I do not wish to start anything here tonight."

It hopped onto the sill, its empty eyes looking from Rikuo to Tsuna and back.

"I suspect we will meet again very soon."

And then it was gone.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Just a warning that I'm now entering my final exam period and so I won't know how frequently I'll update. I'm sure it won't be all that different from now but if I do take a little longer, that's why.

Sorry about that guys :(

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Earlier_

Rikuo and Kubinashi flew through the town swiftly, avoiding sight. They'd been patrolling the streets of Namimori for little over an hour now and the sun was almost gone from the sky. Rikuo had departed from the apartment whilst still in his human form, changing within 10 minutes of doing so and finding much relief in the increased agility and physical prowess he possessed in his demon form. Whilst they'd had to run along the roads before, now they leapt across the rooftops with the ease of an alley cat across adjacent buildings.

"It seems quiet." Kubinashi noted as they landed in a nearby park and settled against the trunk of a tree for a moment of rest.

They hadn't exerted themselves yet but Rikuo always found it more pleasant to talk while not moving at such high speeds. It was something he and his friends had adopted after a while, the wind in their ears often made it really difficult to hear after all, those with super-human demon-hearing notwithstanding.

"Whoever it is that's killing these people, they are obviously being quite discreet about it. Well, aside from leaving dismembered limbs lying in the middle of roads." Rikuo said, shivering at the image his mind had conjured of that particular scene, "I'd assume they have a very clear goal in mind if they're being so methodical about this."

Kubinashi nodded in agreement, his head bobbing in that thoughtful way which usually meant he was in the midst of trying to figure something out. Rikuo, noticing this, was inclined to ask.

"What is it?"

Kubinashi tapped his chin for a moment longer, before looking at Rikuo.

"Well, I'm just trying to find a link between the victims. They all seem to have nothing at all in common." Kubinashi said, looking very much like he was stuck on a particularly hard puzzle, "First it was a businessman, and then a high school boy, then it was middle-schooler wasn't it? It just all seems very random."

Rikuo agreed. It did seem that the victims all had absolutely nothing in common. Different ages, different interests, different lifestyles, different personalities even. Unless there was something more obscure linking them, the only thing they seemed to have in common was that they lived in Namimori. Rikuo paused at this thought, feeling as though something particularly cold had hit him in the face.

"Perhaps they don't know _who_ they're looking for." Rikuo said slowly, dawning in realisation and it seemed Kubinashi caught on just as quickly as Rikuo.

"They're just attacking people they think are likely candidates." Kubinashi said, eyes wide, "They're operating on location alone."

There was a moment after Kubinashi had spoken that Rikuo felt an unpleasant crawling sensation down the back of his spine, like he was being watched in a particularly hostile way. After what felt like a good minute or two, but was probably really only a second, Rikuo's mind had processed the feeling and had forced his body to react. Rikuo twisted awkwardly on the spot and at that exact moment, the tree beside them splintered violently beneath the assault of a lightning fast black shadow. Without time for hesitation, he leapt out of range instantly, coming to a stop back-to-back with Kubinashi who'd reacted in much the same manner. They remained stuck to each other, finding comfort in knowing that in this position, they had their blind spots guarded.

"It seems they found us instead." Kubinashi breathed, and Rikuo could feel the tensing of the other man's muscles against his own back.

Rikuo's hand was on the hilt of his still-sheathed sword, heart pounding in his ears and adrenaline making his body shake with anticipation.

"How many?" Rikuo replied.

There was a moment of silence as both their eyes darted around, catching glimpses of black and flashes of pale white.

"Two, I think." Kubinashi said, and Rikuo silently agreed.

They appeared then, their dark cloaks floating almost gracefully through the air as they landed, leering. Upon seeing them fully for the first time, Rikuo took in mangled faces and desiccated skin and stiffened. It had been so very long, but he would recognise these creatures anywhere. Even if he were delirious from being tortured in the depths of hell, one glimpse of those vacant white eyes and that terrible face and he would _know_. Knowing the nature of these things however, they'd probably be the ones doing the torturing. Their eyes bored through him, almost peering into his very soul. Whenever they would look at him, Rikuo had always felt the disconcerting notion that they were drawing his very life energy from him, as if to compensate for the absence in their own bodies.

Almost immediately after the recognition though, came the dread. It crept through him like ice, making him want to physically shiver. Why were they here? If these two were here, then where was the third? What exactly was going on?

And then, Rikuo's mind caught up to the situation and he felt himself grow even colder at the danger they now found themselves in. With almost no movement, Rikuo alerted Kubinashi. The slight incline of the blonde's unattached head indicated to Rikuo that he was listening. Rikuo eyed the creature in front of him, willing himself to look as unoccupied as possible.

"I need you, as soon as you can, to go get Zen and bring him here." Rikuo murmured so quietly he was afraid Kubinashi would not hear him.

Kubinashi's sudden stiffening told Rikuo he had heard too well, and was not pleased by the notion of leaving him here alone.

"You must." Rikuo replied, and when Kubinashi made no move to agree, Rikuo hardened his voice, "We will die here otherwise. You know that."

For a moment, Rikuo thought Kubinashi would refuse again but a stiff and obviously very reluctant nod from Kubinashi showed the blonde's resign. Then, with nothing more than a soft jab to Rikuo's side, which Rikuo imagined was more due to resentment than anything else, Kubinashi leapt swiftly and vanished into the surrounding trees.

When one of the creatures attempted to follow, Rikuo drew his sword and flew to meet it with a clang of metal against claws. The creature snarled in his face and retreated backward, to land next to its sibling.

The one which hadn't moved, the calmer one, put a hand out to silence the other when it began to growl. Rikuo held his sword poised, ready to fight or defend at a moment's notice.

"We meet again young Nura." the calm one said, "We did not expect we'd see you here."

"Nor did I. Tell me, where is your other sibling?" Rikuo asked stiffly, for he did not know their genders or if they even had genders.

The other one, the one which had attacked, wheezed what Rikuo would consider the closest thing these creatures would ever get to a laugh. It sounded very much like a cat attempting to cough up a stray hairball.

"Dealing with something very interesting I believe."

Rikuo frowned at this.

"Are you the ones killing all those people?"

The creatures eyed him blankly for a moment and for that moment, Rikuo was almost certain they would not answer him. Surprisingly though, they did with barely more than a moment's pause.

"Indeed. It is us."

"Why."

"Because it was ordered."

Those words stunned him into silence. Images of a shock of blonde hair, ragged shoes and an earnest smile flittered through his mind and a pleasant, delicate chuckle echoed hollowly in his ears. Then, all too sudden, Rikuo felt anger flare from the depths of his stomach, sharp and piercing, overriding the dread he'd felt earlier and washing away the fragmented memories. He also felt a rogue spark of betrayal. He forced it down though, unwilling to acknowledge the treacherous feeling.

"By your master? He ordered you to kill these innocent people?" Rikuo demanded forcefully, and when the creature did not seem inclined to answer, he pushed harder, "Answer me!"

The creatures bristled at this, irritated by his insolence.

"Quiet! We do not answer to you." one growled, seemingly outraged at the thought.

Rikuo realised he'd angered them with his words, and the dread returned at this. The creatures hunched over, and Rikuo instantly recognised their forms as preparing for battle. He likewise, tensed his body in preparation, anxiousness creeping back into his senses.

"I feel that we've already shared too much." one hissed.

"Our master may be fond of you but we do not feel so inclined." the other spoke ominously, "Tonight you will draw your last breath, grandson of Nurarihyon."

And then they attacked.

-V-

"We have to hurry." Kubinashi said, looking jittery, "Rikuo-sama will stand no chance against the both of them."

Zen grumbled tiredly as he followed, weary yet attentive. It was obvious the man was drained from his efforts in the previous night but his presence was imperative to their survival this time. Zen had understood this as soon as Kubinashi stormed into the room, alone, looking disgruntled and panicked. And if he hadn't been fully awakened by that, Kubinashi's wild eyes as he described their assailants made Zen snap instantly to attention.

He recognised them instantly, and upon recognition a barrage of questions attacked him. What were those three doing here? If they were here it could only mean that their master was somewhere nearby. Those three did not move alone after all, they moved only on _his _orders.

Zen grit his teeth.

_Damn it Rikuo. You better not have gotten yourself killed._

-V-

Rikuo had almost gotten himself killed.

Dodging with alarming slowness compared to them, Rikuo could find no escape. Their claws ripped open cloth and flesh, leaving him with dripping wounds. His kimono hung uselessly at his hips now, having been sliced away from his body along with a slit up his arm. With a grunt of effort, Rikuo raised his sword to block a slash to his front, but he was slow. Too slow. The second creature kicked him forward forcefully and a bare twist of his body was all that saved him from getting impaled through the stomach by his own weapon.

Wincing at the thought, Rikuo activated his fear, disappearing into wisps of smoke before he landed on the ground. He ignored the throbbing pain all over his body and the icy burn which he could feel beginning to creep up his veins.

This was bad. Their poison would kill him within minutes if he continued to fight like this, that was, if he wasn't beheaded or dismembered first. Under the cover of his fear, Rikuo crept farther away from the creatures, panting harshly as he felt his arm beginning to grow leaden and his feet begin to drag.

Apparently, he was not strong enough to hold out for long, and the moment he let his concentration slip, the creatures were upon him again. One soon had its claws buried deep into his shoulders, and Rikuo cried out in pain as the second slashed him across the back. He began to see white as he felt something deathly cool flowing into his veins from where the creature's claws were buried. It scorched an icy heat through his veins, creeping like a deadly venomous spider up his neck.

It would soon reach his brain.

Rikuo grit his teeth in effort and forced his heavy hand to clench around the sword he still held. Then, with the strength of sheer willpower he forced his hand forward and felt it pierce. The creature let out a strangled rasp and tore its claws from his shoulders as it staggered back.

Rikuo collapsed to his knees, his vision returning slightly as the world around him spun and blurred. Everything was in agony, as if he were burning in the earth's hottest flame whilst simultaneously being frozen to the degree of frostbite. He could hardly move as he sat there, his entire body paralysed from pain and exhaustion. His vision faded, growing darker. And as he was considering stabbing himself to keep from passing out, he felt an arm snake around him and heard a vague flap of wings. The burning in his veins pulsed once, twice, then intensified and Rikuo whimpered weakly. Then, the air was whipping at him, making his wounds sting and his eyes water. He was flying.

"Stay awake Rikuo."

It was Zen.

"My poison is flowing through you right now. I need to get you an antidote as soon as I can or you will die. Don't let yourself sleep do you hear me?" his friend's voice was stern but sure, and reassuring.

Rikuo grunted in reply, his body still burning as though he'd been dipped in a particularly nasty acid. Although feeling slightly inebriated, Rikuo could make out the strain on Zen's face when he looked up at him. The man looked worn completely to his bones, he could hardly be strong enough to be carrying him.

"Zen…you're tired." Rikuo managed to rasp, though he was unsure Zen could even hear him as they flew.

"Don't worry about me." Zen replied.

And then Rikuo remembered something else which made him stiffen. Zen, feeling this, tightened his grip.

"Kubinashi?"

"He's fine."

"Where…?"

"He's fine. Don't worry."

Despite his insistence that he was not tired, Zen soon faltered, his wings sagging as they refused to beat anymore. Exhausted and forced to land, Zen brought them to an area sheltered by trees, hidden away from the town where the only building nearby looked very much abandoned. Within barely a second, Rikuo felt a cool flask at his lips and a bitter liquid was forced into his mouth and down his throat. As soon as he'd swallowed, Rikuo felt the heat throughout his body fading, like someone had doused the flames with cool water. He sighed in relief, sagging in Zen's arms.

"Better?" Zen asked, cradling him much like a parent would a child.

Rikuo nodded weakly.

"Thankyou." he croaked.

Zen gave him a weary but fond smile.

"I poisoned you, you realise." Zen said, looking almost guilty.

Rikuo smiled dryly, recalling the intensity of the pain when Zen had injected his poison. "I definitely realised."

Zen laughed softly for a moment and Rikuo took deep, calming breaths to sooth himself when suddenly, Zen stopped. For a moment, Rikuo was confused but the Zen brought a finger to his lips in a motion to silence him. Hauling him into a position where he could see better, Rikuo froze when he saw the dark shadow, the third sibling he assumed, leap into a window. His eyes widened when he realised who had just disappeared from that window. He felt a wave of panic.

_Was that…._

"Zen-" Rikuo began, but Zen was already pulling him to his feet.

"You should put your sword away Rikuo, you're going to hurt yourself."

Rikuo glanced down to his hand and, to his surprise, realised he'd been gripping his katana the entire time. There was an explosion from the warehouse and Rikuo startled slightly.

"I might need it."

Zen eyed him silently for a moment, and Rikuo thought for sure he was going to disapprove, but then with a sigh Zen lifted them toward the warehouse.

-V-

_Present_

Tsuna stared at the window in wonder for a moment, his eyes resting on the path through which the creature had just disappeared. He was bewildered and utterly confused. Friends? Rikuo and that thing were…friends? A cough from behind him, and Tsuna was instantly back in action, launching himself toward Rikuo and Zen, with the full intention of finally getting some answers.

Zen was in front of Rikuo in an instance, guarding him, but to Tsuna's surprise, he was pushed aside so that Tsuna's fist connected with Rikuo's sword. He sensed a pattern growing here. But unlike the previous night when the weapon had been safely sheathed, tonight the sword gleamed in the moonlight, sharp and deadly and stained with something black and ugly. Rikuo turned the sword to ensure Tsuna would hit only the flat edge of the blade, but the power from Tsuna's punch proved too much for Rikuo tonight and when the sword was flung away, it sliced a clean cut in Tsuna's side as it did so.

Having had his aim misdirected, Tsuna instead found himself punching the wall next to Rikuo's head. The latter let out a small grunt of relief, panting hard as he eyed Tsuna's arm and the now shattered portion of the wall in slight horror. Tsuna himself, looked at the damage he'd caused in shock. He hadn't meant to attack with such vigour, especially not someone who was so injured. He and Rikuo stared at each other for a moment, but then Tsuna grit his teeth and leapt backward, grasping his side as a sharp pain alerted him to his injury.

"Boss!" Chrome exclaimed.

"Rikuo!" Zen cried simultaneously, and was by Rikuo's side instantly. "What the hell was that?"

"You would've shattered under the weight of his punch Zen. You know your body is not sturdy enough." Rikuo said weakly, coughing as he did so, "Plus, you're in no shape to fight right now."

"Like you're one to talk! You almost died not half an hour ago and you're lecturing me?" Zen growled, and Tsuna was surprised.

Rikuo….had almost died? Were his wounds that fatal?

Zen's eyebrows furrowed, "You need healing. We're going."

He had hauled one of Rikuo's arms over his shoulder and was almost at the window when Tsuna stopped them.

"W-wait." Tsuna called to them, his flame fading from his forehead. "You guys. Just who are you exactly?"

Zen looked at him with absolute distrust. "Certainly not your friends."

Feeling frustrated at the lack of an answer in his words, Tsuna looked to Rikuo instead. The white haired man looked almost ready to pass out. In that moment, Tsuna felt a surge of sympathy for him. Rikuo really wasn't all that different from himself at all, if even he could get hurt like this. Then, Tsuna bit his lip.

"He needs help. I know a doctor that can help him and a hospital where he can stay." Tsuna offered.

Zen simply glared at him.

"No way."

But when he turned to leave, Rikuo groaned and slumped a little more. In his state, Zen could not support the extra weight and almost crashed to the ground.

"Please." Tsuna said, eyeing Rikuo in concern, "He needs to be treated."

Zen looked at Rikuo, noticing how the white-haired man's breath had quickened and his skin had flushed. His body was going into distress.

Clenching his jaw, Zen rested Rikuo carefully against the wall and walked over to Tsuna. Tsuna, meanwhile, held his ground and stared at Zen as he approached in determination. He may not know all there was to know about Rikuo, but he knew an injured man when he saw one. He would not be able to live with himself knowing he hadn't tried to help.

"I don't want to owe you anything." Zen said carefully, and Tsuna nodded.

"You won't."

"No. If you save Rikuo, I will certainly owe you a lot." Zen admitted, letting out a tired sigh.

It was then Tsuna noticed how ragged the man looked, as if he hadn't slept. Zen further confirmed this theory when he let out a small yawn. Then, he was bending over and reaching for his side. Tsuna flinched out of reach on instinct, and a pain his side reminded him of the injury he'd sustained.

"You were cut earlier weren't you? By Rikuo's blade?"

Tsuna nodded stiffly and Zen, noticing this, scowled at him.

"I'm repaying my debt in advance. Rikuo's blade was coated with the blood of that same creature you fought earlier. It's poisonous." Zen explained, holding out a hand, "I'll cure you."

Tsuna eyed him for a moment or two suspiciously and Zen sighed exasperatedly.

"So you wanted me to trust you but you won't trust me?" Zen said, and Tsuna swore he detected a hint of a challenge in his tone, and then in a lower voice, "Tch kids."

When Tsuna felt the beginnings of strange burning at his side, he gripped at his wound tighter. For a moment, Zen stood waiting for him, looking expectant and then, after feeling the pain creeping ever closer toward his stomach, Tsuna relented.

"Ok."

Zen nodded and stepped closer, reaching a hand toward Tsuna's side. Then, Tsuna watched on in awe as beautiful, translucent purple wings extended themselves from Zen's back. They glimmered in the moonlight, looking almost gem-like with their flashes of blue and white. He had a strong urge to reach out and touch, but when he almost did, Zen's hand slapped his away.

"You wouldn't want to do that. My wings are poisonous." Zen warned, and Tsuna instantly pulled his hand back.

"They're beautiful…" Chrome noted and Zen started, as if he'd forgotten she were there, "Are they made from dying will flames?"

Zen raised an eyebrow as he reached back and plucked a single feather from them, wincing slightly as he did so. The feather shone proudly in the darkness, emitting a gentle purple glow upon everything near it.

"What are 'dying will flames'?" he asked, and Tsuna's eyes widened as he watched Zen approach his wound with the feather.

"W-wait. Didn't you just say your wings are poisonous?" Tsuna exclaimed in disbelief, becoming defensive and blocking his side with his hands.

Zen rolled his eyes.

"My poison will enter your system and fight for dominance with the other poison. They're incompatible you see, so one will eventually triumph over the other. I have an antidote for my poison here." Zen lifted a flask.

"What if your poison loses?" Tsuna asked, feeling petrified at the thought.

Zen smirked.

"Then, you'll probably die."

Tsuna spluttered indignantly at this, but before he knew it, Zen had pressed his feather into Tsuna's wound. The sparkling purple seemed to dissolve into the wound and almost immediately, Tsuna felt the pain increase tenfold. He cried out as it burned him, barely hearing Chrome's startled gasp. After a minute or two of agonising pain, Tsuna felt it pulse and then fade into a duller throb.

"Here, drink."

Zen handed him the flask and Tsuna gulped some down without hesitation, wanting to rid himself of the pain. Soon enough, the burning faded, and then faded some more until eventually it was gone completely. Tsuna was left panting, a thin layer of sweat sheening his forehead. Zen, looking satisfied at this result, proceeded to return to Rikuo's side, looping an arm under his shoulders and hauling him up.

"Now I will no longer owe you anything." Zen declared, and Tsuna nodded weakly.

"I'll show you to the hospital." Tsuna said, but then paused and allowed his gaze to drift to the limp forms of Yamamoto and Gokudera, "I suppose we're all going to need it."

Then, Tsuna paused.

"They're not poisoned too are they?"

Zen glanced at them before shaking his head.

"I doubt it. If they were, they wouldn't have been knocked unconscious. Those creatures like to watch their victims suffer."

Tsuna was relieved but he inwardly cringed at this information.

"Boss, how are we going to get them all to the hospital?" Chrome asked, looking nervous, "Ken and Chikusa too."

Tsuna realised she was right. They had no way of transporting this many people. Chrome wouldn't be able to handle carrying any of them and even in his Dying Will form, he wouldn't be strong enough to carry them all. Tsuna bit his lip.

"They're here." Zen said suddenly and for a terrifying moment, Tsuna thought he meant more of those creatures had returned to finish them.

But before he could work himself into a panic, two figures appeared and Tsuna felt his jaw drop in recognition. One was Kubinashi, the neckless boy who he'd met with Zen and Rikuo the first time. He looked slightly worn out and ruffled up a bit, but otherwise the same as he had last time. He looked at Tsuna in bemusement when he caught him staring.

But the other, Tsuna was even more shocked to see. He looked different, he had different eyes, different hair and wore different clothes but there was no denying the resemblance. And Tsuna knew, for sure this time, that all of his suspicions had just been confirmed.

"Kurata-kun?"

The lofty boy looked at him with an amused gleam in his eyes and a mischievous smile.

"Hello again, Tsunayoshi-kun."


End file.
